Hereford's local water supply contains an unusually high level of naturally occurring fluorine. Because fluoride is used to protect against tooth decay, Hereford earned the title "The Town Without a Toothache".

It is also known as the "Beef Capital of the World" because of the large number of cattle fed in the area. The city is named for the Hereford breed. The local economy is affected significantly by growth in the dairy and ethanol industries.

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Hereford was originally founded as Blue Water in 1899 after the Pecos and Northern Texas Railway connected Amarillo to Farwell. After it was discovered that there was already a town named Blue Water, residents renamed the town Hereford in honor of the cattle of the local ranchers.[6]

During the Second World War there was an internment camp, dismantled in 1947, for prisoners of the Italian army.

As of the census[1] of 2000, 14,597 people, 4,839 households, and 3,730 families resided in the city. The population density was 2,600.8 people per square mile (1,004.6/km²). There were 5,323 housing units at an average density of 948.4 per square mile (366.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.86% White, 1.76% African American, 0.82% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 24.77% from other races, and 2.41% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 61.37% of the population.

Of the 4,839 households, 42.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.4% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.9% were not families. About 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.96 and the average family size was 3.44.

In the city, the population was distributed as 34.0% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 18.1% from 45 to 64, and 12.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,599, and for a family was $33,387. Males had a median income of $26,488 versus $18,920 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,787. About 19.4% of families and 20.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.9% of those under age 18 and 15.8% of those age 65 or over.

John Gililland (1942-2004) 3rd generation owner/mortician. Gililland funeral home established by James Madison Gililland in 1890, was the 1st and only funeral home serving the Hereford area until, 1982. John Gililland single handedly operated Hereford ambulance serve for 20+ years.Initiating ambulance service for Deaf Smith county in 1970.

Edgar Mitchell (born September 17, 1930, in Hereford) is an American pilot and astronaut. As the lunar module pilot of Apollo 14, he spent 9 hours of February 9, 1971, moon-walking on the Fra Mauro formation, making him the sixth man to walk on the Moon.